We will be meeting our 28 year old son in London for a few days in July. He is a Harry Potter fan and I am wondering if it is worth it to go on the studio tour. Is going to the college in Oxford where some parts were filmed better or how do the two things compare?
Is going from the Paddington station area easy enough on public transit?
Thanks!
Posted by
WestCentral MN
443 posts
We went with our 28 year old son this past summer. He grew up reading the books and watching the movies and is a total HP fan. Public transit was easy--just be sure to get the express train and not the one that makes a whole bunch of stops. It was easy enough to figure out by looking at the electronic boards at the station, although I had already looked online ahead of time to have an idea of when the express trains were scheduled.
We all enjoyed the studio tour. We spent about 5 hours there. He was happy to be able to purchase a wand for his daughter, which included a personalized invitation to attend Hogwarts. That being said, it wasn't his favorite thing we did in London. Yes, he enjoyed it very much, but he enjoyed the Tower of London more. I am glad we went, because if we hadn't, we all would have arrived home and said, "We should have gone." I would say if he is a fan, definitely go.
Posted by
SF Bay Area
1277 posts
My 40-year old daughter and I did the studio tour in August. We enjoyed Harry Potter when she was younger but are not super fans. We loved the tour. Allow plenty of time. We spent 4.5 hours there and could have used a little more time, but they were closing.
The sets are magical and you also learn a lot about how they made the movies.
We didn’t go to Oxford but we did a walking tour of HP sites in London. The studio was far better.
Posted by
TX, USA
5871 posts
Both Oxford and the studio tour are great days - but they are not at all the same thing. If you have the days, do both. Just not on the same day…..